Phoenix Guards (1991) Steven Brust In the mood for re-reading favorites, I just finished Phoenix Guards. Phoenix Guards is one of the books that falls into my “pretty much perfect” category.
Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners (1987) Ellen Kushner I couldn’t help myself. I re-read Swordspoint. Sometimes when you’re feeling bad, you just have to turn to favorites.
Claimed by Shadow (2007) Karen Chance This book left me feeling…annoyed. I went and checked, and here’s how I summed up Touch the Dark: (I)t’s an interesting story with some flaws, but for a quick read it’s pretty good, and has potential to get more interesting. Well, unfortunately, it didn’t get more interesting. I mostly […]
Magic Bites (2007) Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels works as a mercenary in a world that used to be ours, where technology is losing out to magic. Vampires are not romantic creatures (think the older vampires on Buffy) the vampire faction is held at bay by the shape shifters–neither group can take control, which is probably […]
Murcheston: The Wolf’s Tale (2000) David Holland The story told in Murcheston: The Wolf’s Tale is of a werewolf, told years after the fact by one who had been his companion. In it, we are privy to the journal of a man who has become a werewolf, and watch in fascination as the transformation changes […]
The Demon and the City (2006) Liz Williams After reading The Snake Agent, I’ve been looking forward the reading the next Detective Inspector Chen book. (In fact, the paperback edition has been on pre-order for several months.) As with many authors I like, after getting a book, I’m hesitant to read it, for fear that […]
A Fistful of Charms (2006) Kim Harrison The fourth book in the Rachel Morgan series, A Fistful of Charms takes place several months after Every Which Way But Dead. Rachel and Ivy are still trying to figure out how to mend their relationships with Jenks, and Rachel is enjoying her relationships with Kistin, although she […]
Every Which Way But Dead (2005) Kim Harrison It actually took me several weeks to read Every Which Way But Dead. It ended up in my jacket pocket for riding on the PRT and sitting in waiting rooms, so I was only reading a few pages at a time. However, I eventually reached a place […]
The Stars Compel (1999) Michaela Roessner First things first… WAH! This was supposed to be book two of a trilogy–however, the third book was never published, and since The Stars Compel was published in 1999, it doesn’t look like I’m going to get the third book any time soon. Hence… WAH! On the bright side, […]
Prophecy (2000) Elizabeth Haydon The sequel to Rhapsody, Prophecy continues the story. They are still trying to find the F’Dor who escaped to Sendair. Achmed and Grunthor are continuing to build the Bolg into a nation. Rhapsody meets the dragon Elynsynos, and learns more about Ashe. As with the previous books, my favorite characters are […]
The Stars Dispose (1997) Michaela Roessner I picked up The Stars Dispose used, several years ago. But for one reason or another, never got around to reading it. However, when I was looking for something different to read, I finally picked it up. In the 1500s, there was a power struggle in Florence. The de […]
Rhapsody: Child of Blood (1999) Elizabeth Haydon I read this series (Rhapsody is book one) several years ago, and remembered enjoying it, but never re-read it, primarily because Rhapsody is 656 pages, and the remaining books in the series are just as long or longer. It’s one thing to start a 400 page book. It’s […]
The Repentant (2003) edited by Brian M. Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg I love short stories, so I tend to pick up anthologies when I come across them–assuming they look even remotely interesting. The Repentant looked particularly interesting, since it had several authors I particularly like: Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and especially Nina Kiriki Hoffman. […]
Summers at Castle Auburn (2001) Sharon Shinn I picked up Summers at Castle Auburn because I’d read another Sharon Shinn book and thoroughly enjoyed it. So when I came across Summers at Castle Auburn used I snatched it up, since I hadn’t seen it before. Corie is the bastard daughter of a bastard lord. After […]
The Wood Wife (1996) Terri Windling It took me a long time to read this book, however, you shouldn’t necessarily see this as a reflection on the quality of the book. I picked up The Wood Wife used, and it was a relatively slim novel, so it was perfect for sticking in my jacket pocket, […]
You Slay Me (2004) Katie MacAlister Just so you know that I’m not completely opposed to all sex in all books, I managed to pick up You Slay Me, which is a “supernatural romance.” Of course I picked it up not for the boinking, but because it looked funny. Aisling (pronounced ash-ling, which I never […]
The Banquet of the Lords of Night & Other Stories (2004) Liz Williams The Banquet of the Lords of Night & Other Stories is an anthology (obviously) of stories by Liz Williams. The stories range in style from the fantasy to science fiction. As with most mixed anthologies, I didn’t much care for the science […]
Shadows in the Darkness (2004) Elaine Cunningham Gwen Gellman is an ex-cop who was pushed off the force after a bust goes terribly wrong. So she sets up her own private investigation company. However, the latest case to walk in her door–a missing teenager–starts to go wrong almost from the start. There are actually several […]
Unshapely Things (2007) Mark del Franco Connor Grey is a druid who has lost most of his powers. An attack by radical environmentalist elf has left him crippled–not physically, but magically. So in addition to his disability payments, he takes occasionally jobs helping the Boston police department in attacks involving the fey. What I found […]
Labyrinth (2005) Kate Mosse This book could be classified in any number of ways. There are elements of fantasy, mystery, suspense, romance, and history. As such, I thought it worked best as an historical novel, because this was the strongest part of the book. The story of Alais and Guilhem and Sajhe was the most […]
The All-American Dessert Book (2005) Nancy Baggett I love to bake. So when I come across interesting dessert cookbooks I tend to pick them up. I ordered this one on a whim, just because I was looking for something new. The first thing I noticed about this book is that is has gorgeous pictures. Gorgeous–but […]
Proven Guilty (2006) Jim Butcher I started this book several weeks ago, and then put it down because I remembered why Harry had been annoying me so much for the past several books.However, I decided to give Proven Guilty and Harry another chance. At the start of the book I was still annoyed with him–he’s […]
Bloody Jack (2002) L.A. Meyer After Mary Faber loses her family to the plague, she becomes one of the many orphans roaming the streets of London, part of a gang that keeps her safe. And with that she’s mostly comfortable and happy until the leader of her gang is killed. After that she decides that […]
Mister Monday (2003) Garth Nix I absolutely loved Sabriel. The following two books were also excellent, but I just adored Sabriel. I also liked his collection of short stories, Across the Wall. So when I saw he had another series, The Keys to the Kingdom, I… hesitated. Sometimes when an author has written a book […]
Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape (2007) Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Andrew Pepoy I was slow to pick up this collection–and just as slow to start reading it–because Jack is one of my least favorite Fables characters. He’s a jerk. Why would I want to read an entire book about him? Well, […]
And Only to Deceive (2005) Tasha Alexander The deception in this book? The text, “A Novel of Suspense.” I’ve been in the mood for historical mysteries, and so when this one came up recommend on Amazon–and on sale–I decided to try it. My feelings when reading this book kept swinging between annoyance and hopeful interest. […]
Ex Machina Vol 5: Smoke Smoke (2007) Brian K Vaughan, Tony Harris, Tom Feister, JD Mettler Okay, I must be missing something somewhere, because this is the second volume in a row of Ex Machina that I found to be only so-so. Between the title and the cover, it should be obvious that one of […]
The Bone Collector (1997) Jeffery Deaver I haven’t read The Bone Collector in years. I read it soon after I got it–and since I own it in hardback, that means I picked it up reduced for quick sale after the paperback came out, so not that long after it was published. Which makes it about […]
Runaways Vol 5: Escape to New York (2006) Brian K Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, Takeshi Miyazawa Escape to New York is the fifth volume of the Runaways series. The Runaways are still trying to clean up the mess they created when they took out their parent’s crime syndicate, and for now they’re allowing Victor to remain […]
Ill Wind (2003) Rachel Caine If it wasn’t for the fact that I was too lazy to get off the sofa, I would have put this book down several times and gotten something else to read. However, I was lazy, and eventually I got into the story, but it took several chapters. Joanne Baldwin is […]
Moonshine (2007) Rob Thurman Moonshine is the sequel to Nightlife. Now that Cal and Niko have defeated the monsters who were trying to possess Cal, they have moved onto the more mundane task of simply living their lives–something they were never given the luxury to do when they were constantly on the run. They’re currently […]
What Angels Fear (2005) C.S. Harris Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is a somewhat dissolute young noble who returned from the Napoleonic wars far more bitter than when he left. A prickly relationship with his father and a willingness to fight duels have not helped his reputation, but he doesn’t much seem to care. However, […]
Petty Treason (2004) Madeline E. Robins The second Miss Sarah Tolerance mystery, Petty Treason takes place several months after the events of Point of Honor. Although her courtroom testimony following her last case has made her name known in London, she is continuing to work as an Agent of Inquiry, taking cases primarily from women […]
Kitty Takes a Holiday (2007) Carrie Vaughn The third book in this series takes off where Kitty Goes to Washington left off. After being exposed on national television, Kitty has decided to take a holiday to escape for awhile, and to write her memoirs–or attempt to write her memoirs. Unfortunately, her rural isolated cabin doesn’t […]
Aunt Dimity’s Death (1992) Nancy Atherton In my opinion, this story took off when the ghost appeared. Until then, the story was okay, but I was moderately frustrated by the bickering between the two characters that were obviously destined to fall in love with each other. Initially, I thought the negative feelings Lori had were […]
Point of Honour (2003) Madeleine E. Robins Point of Honour is a mystery novel set in Regency London. Sarah Tolerance is a Fallen woman, and as such she has few venues open to her that would allow her to make a living. The most common “career” for a fallen woman was prostitution, and indeed Sarah’s […]
Runaways Vol 4: True Believers (2005) Brian K Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, Craig Yeung True Believers is the fourth installment in the Runaways series, telling the story of five teens who ran away after discovering their parents were super-villains. Still on the run from Foster Care, the Runaways are hiding out under the La Brea Museum, […]
Day Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield The sequel to Night Watch, Day Watch contains another trio of stories about the Day and Night Watches in Moscow. The first story, Unauthorized Personnel Permitted is the story of Alisa Donnikova, a witch, and Other member of the Day watch we first came across in […]
Disappearing Nightly (2005) Laura Resnick This book was a disappointment. About halfway through I started reading as fast as I could so I could get the whole thing over with. The frustrating thing was that the story was good, the mystery portion of good. I just hated the main character. She struck me as incredibly […]
The Dante Club (2003) Matthew Pearl Based on historical facts combined with a murder mystery, The Dante Club tells how Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J. T. Fields worked to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy into English. Unfortunately, the administration at Harvard University–for which Holmes and Lowell both work–is opposed to […]
Greywalker (2006) Kat Richardson Greywalker starts off strong–Harper Blaine gets beaten to death–although she is dead only for a few minutes. I’d been surprised when the guy belted me. Most people don’t flip out when they get caught in such a small fraud. I had expected am embarrassed apology and a hasty check to appease […]
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006) Edited by P.N. Elrod My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding is an anthology of short stories featuring supernatural creatures and weddings. All the stories are good, but some are better than others. In some of the stories the wedding is the main feature, while in other stories the wedding felt […]
Working for Devil (2005) Lilith Saintcrow Dante Valentine is a necromance–she is able to visit the realms of the dead and draw spirits back to the world where they can answer questions or communicate again with their loved ones. Although mages and other psis are out and somewhat accepted by the public, necromances still are […]
Lucifer Vol 3: A Dalliance with the Damned (2002) Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly, Dean Ormston A Dalliance with the Damned is the third book in the Lucifer series. Maziken is in search of a way to return her face to its proper form, Lucifer has decided to create his own Creation, and there […]
Ten Second Staircase (2007) Christopher Fowler Ten Second Staircase is the fourth Bryant and May mystery. A controversial sculptor is found dead in one of her pieces, and the only witness describes an impossible killer. Meanwhile, Raymond Land has complained one too many times about the PCU (Peculiar Crimes Unit) and now the unit is […]
Blood Bound (2007) Patricia Briggs Blood Bound is the sequel to Moon Called, and continues the story of Mercy Thompson, a mechanic and a walker. A walker is similar to–but not the same as–a werewolf. What she has is an inborn power to change form at will, and that shifting isn’t tied to the moon. […]
Lucifer Vol 2: Children and Monsters (2001) Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly, Dean Ormston Children and Monsters is the second book in the Lucifer series. Lucifer has obtained the gate, and has now decided to use it. Now he is looking to get some other objects, for whatever plans he has. We also see […]
Snake Agent (2005) Liz Williams When I purchased this book I thought it was a mystery, after all, it’s “A Detective Inspector Chen Novel.” And since I bought the book on-line, I couldn’t see the cover clearly, so that didn’t tell me anything either. I just knew it had come up as recommended for me, […]
The Serpent’s Shadow (2001) Mercedes Lackey Myra Witherspoon is half-Indian and half-English, and has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a doctor. Unfortunately for her, both her race and her gender work against her, in a society where women are still little more than possessions, and India remains a British colony. It is her […]
Ghosts in the Snow (2004) Tamara Siler Jones Dubric is the head of security at Castle Faldorrah–a matter of self-preservation, since he is haunted by the ghosts of those who are murdered at the castle, until their killers come to justice. In the past there has been only an occasional killing, but now young servant […]